I'm not sure about Bollywood, but I believe Cricket could make a bigger impact on the youth in the region. Cricketers have gained equal celebrity status (or eve

I'm not sure about Bollywood, but I believe Cricket could make a bigger impact on the youth in the region. Cricketers have gained equal celebrity status (or even more) to Bollywood stars and unlike, bollywood it's a dream they can attain themselves. Especially, in Afganistan the game is spreading fast. Recently, they got to play their first international cricket match against Australia in Sharjah[1]. Also, Afgan team will take part in this year's T20 Cricket World Cup, which is starting next week. I grew up in Sri Lanka, where there was a 30 year old gruesome war. I know how cricket played a major role in consoling the nation in troubled times and helped people to bond together irrespective of their races. Muttiah Muralitharan, who was one of the best bowlers the game has ever seen, was a Tamil himself. His success became a big influence for kids like myself, to see there's a bigger world outside that you can conquer[2]. [1] - http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/571947.html http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/571947.html [2] - http://laktek.com/2010/07/23/best-role-model-of-our-time http://laktek.com/2010/07/23/best-role-model-of-our-time